Summary
G.J. Folmer
Zelfstandige Europese defensie: visioen of visie?
G.J. Folmer deals with the prospect of a European defence. From its economic and demographic potential an independent European defence capacity is a reasonable objective. To achieve it, not only political will but also practical measures have to be taken. These measures comprise, inter alia, an increase in active personnel and a shift in the organisational composition of the armies so that e.g. more engineers, more mobile medical units and logistics are available. As for the latter, nations should give priority to consider how to make use of civilian resources rather than to rely exclusively on military means. Furthermore, the command and control facilities should be improved to provide more mobile Headquarters at the Army Corps level in order to support sustained operations. Concurrently, the communications facilities at both the command and unit level should be improved to achieve communality and interoperability. Attention is drawn to the numbers involved. The EU's objective for 2003, i.e., to have 50-60.000 troops standing ready at a 60 days notice, requires at least a second batch at the ready if an operation is to be sustained for just one year. For longer periods up to the indefinite operations such as in the Balkans, the total amount required will be 4 to 5 times that of the capacity in the field. Europe still has a long way to go; its objective can only be achieved if political will is not only expressed in procedural matters, but in practical measures as well.